Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 68%
Simulated
An adult client has been hospitalized for the past three weeks due to complications experienced following elective surgery. When the client├óÔé¼Ôäós condition first began to deteriorate, the client├óÔé¼Ôäós spouse reminded the healthcare provider (HCP) that the client has a living will explaining the desire for a natural death. The HCP does not agree with the client├óÔé¼Ôäós living will and refuses to honor it. Which action should the nurse take?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
The ethical committee is the appropriate resource to resolve conflicts regarding patient autonomy and advance directives. The HCP is legally and ethically obligated to follow the client's expressed wishes in the living will. Simply documenting the refusal does not resolve the conflict. Having resuscitation equipment ready contradicts the client's wishes. Facilitating a meeting is a good step, but the HCP has already refused, so a higher authority is needed.